Other facts:Alcohol is the number one gateway drug. Alcohol is burned by the body at the rate of 1/2-ounce per hour, and nothing speeds this process. A 12-ounce can of beer, a 5-ounce glass of wine, and a 1/2-ounce glass of hard liquor
all contain the same amount of alcohol.

Other facts: Marijuana is the number two gateway drug. The most active ingredient in marijuana is THC. THC is fat soluble, storing itself in fat cells, and taking 4-6 weeks to be eliminated from the body.

PCP: Phencyclidine

Packaging: Tablets and capsules or clear liquid applied to marijuana or cigarettes

Method of use: Swallowed or smoked

Paraphernalia: Dark cigarettes

Duration: 1-6 hours

Dependence: Moderate

Possible effects: hallucinations; distorted sense of sight taste, and smell; high blood pressure and heart rate; fever sweating, chills, or clammy skin; rapid and involuntary eye movement; exaggerated walk; extraordinary strength; a sense
of invulnerability; and image distortion. “Bad trips” can result in confusion, panic paranoia, anxiety, loss of control, and psychosis. Extended use can result in impaired breathing heart and lung disease.

Other facts: Commercial use is as a large animal tranquilizer. There is no antitoxin for the effects of PCP, and because of the unpredictability of its effects, it is one of the most dangerous of “street” drugs.

Other facts: PCP was developed for use as a large animal tranquilizer; LSD is many thousand times more powerful that other hallucinogens, and can produce “flashbacks” or reoccurring hallucinogenic experiences.

Other facts: Tobacco is the number three gateway drug. It is often used in conjunction with the other gateway drugs (alcohol and marijuana). The use of tobacco products is responsible for approximately 350,000 premature deaths each year.
Cigarette smoke contains about 4,000 chemicals, several of which are carcinogens (known cancer-causing agents). Cigarette smoke also contains nicotine, a highly addictive substance that reinforces and strengthens the urge to smoke.

MDMA (Ecstasy)

MDMA (3-4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine) is a synthetic, psychoactive drug chemically similar to the stimulant methamphetamine and the hallucinogen mescaline. Street names for MDMA include Ecstasy, Adam, XTC, hug, beans, and love drug. In 2002, an
estimated 676,000 people in the U.S. age 12 and older used MDMA.*

Research in animals indicates that MDMA is neurotoxic; whether or not this is also true in humans is currently an area of intense investigation. MDMA can also be dangerous to health and, on rare occasions, lethal.

MDMA exerts its primary effects in the brain on neurons that use the chemical serotonin to communicate with other neurons. The serotonin system plays an important role in regulating mood, aggression, sexual activity, sleep, and sensitivity to pain.

Health Hazards

Cognitive Effects – Chronic users of MDMA perform more poorly than nonusers on certain types of cognitive or memory tasks. Some of these effects may be due to the use of other drugs in combination with MDMA, among other factors.

Physical Effects – In high doses, MDMA can interfere with the body’s ability to regulate temperature. This can lead to a sharp increase in body temperature (hyperthermia), resulting in liver, kidney, and cardiovascular
system failure.